COMPANY PROFILE

My Name is Jerry Feingold…

Let me introduce myself and give you a bit of my background. I founded Continuous Improvement Consultancy in 1998 to help companies become more competitive. After working in executive capacities in industry at four Fortune 100 companies for 34 years, running a $100 million company, conducting numerous start-ups and turn arounds I had learned enough to begin a consultancy. As a consultant I knew I could impart specific proven valuable tools and assist my clients to raise their enterprises to new levels of productivity and to improve continuously.

I started my career as an industrial engineer (I hold a BS degree and an MBA). My broad management background covers over three decades in manufacturing with ITT, RCA, International Playtex, and Harman International. I had been president of the Harman company that made JBL and Infinity branded loudspeakers. During that period I had become a student in whatever the latest “panacea” for improvement was at the time. These included; value analysis, zero defects, quality circles, TQM, Theory of Constraints, Demand Flow and others I can no longer recall. In retrospect none of these were panaceas, just another set of tools to but in my bag (or more “flavors of the month”).

But then in 1992 I went to Japan to study LEAN. I was then introduced to two principal LEAN tools: Kaizen and the Toyota Production System. That trip changed my life immeasurably.

I finally discovered an improvement philosophy with which I felt completely comfortable. The one aspect of that training in Japan that clinched it for me was to be trained to participate in a Kaizen Event at the Isuzu factory near Tokyo. In just 3 days our team was able to increase productivity of the Isuzu Trooper fabrication and assembly facilities by an astounding 25% without spending any money.

I returned from Japan and quickly employed these techniques in my own factory in Los Angeles. The results were stunning and quick. After transforming the Los Angeles plant, I went on to conduct similar transformations in our other factories throughout the US and Europe with similar results.

My consulting practice took off very quickly in 1998. My clients include companies in America as well as England, Scotland, Switzerland and Austria. In addition to improving manufacturing operations, I have also helped clients with administrative process improvements. The clients include manufacturers of commercial products, consumer products, military hardware, food and, medical devices. The results of these engagements have been gratifying. Productivity typically soars, quality improves and customer service improvement has been a typical spin-off.

I love helping my clients achieve levels of performance they had not thought possible. Especially in these upsetting times when companies are fleeing our shores to have their products produced abroad.

Despite cheap labor elsewhere, I believe there are many reasons to keep manufacturing at home. American factories employ fewer workers than their low-wage foreign counterparts—one reason that labor costs no longer make or break the decision on where to put a factory. Payroll costs in America account for only 11% of overall manufacturing costs; meanwhile, growing demand for prompt and speedy delivery is much more important than relative wages, and is another reason to keep producing at home.

In addition to becoming a sought after consultant I have been invited to speak at numerous colleges, universities and professional organizations. I have also been featured on public television and talk radio and recently authored "Getting Lean," An Introduction To Lean Business In the Form An An Entertaining Novel.